In this course, you’ll learn from Sarah McVanel, Canada’s Recognition Expert, on how to assess, build and reallocate resources – money, time, energy – toward what really matters.
Many organizations invest heavily in employee recognition programs but fail to see the return. Why? Because most of that investment is spent in the wrong places. In this course, Canada’s Recognition Expert Sarah McVanel teaches you how to evaluate, redesign, and reallocate your recognition efforts—money, time, and energy—toward what actually works across global teams. You’ll learn how to identify the gaps in your current approach, boost engagement, and make recognition a key driver of performance, retention, and culture.
Whether you're starting from scratch or revamping an existing program, Sarah offers practical tools, evidence-based strategies, and ready-to-use templates. Through her step-by-step guidance, you’ll develop a recognition strategy that aligns with your people goals and drives lasting impact. Instead of outsourcing for thousands, this course empowers you and your team to lead change from within—with confidence and results.
Canada's Recognition Expert; Professional Speaker; Professional Coach; Author; HR Leader
Sarah McVanel helps individuals leverage the exponential power of recognition to retain top talent, fuel healthy teams and sustain healthy bottom lines. She speaks internationally on the topic, leads workshops, coaches leaders, and builds organizational recognition programs. Sarah is a Certified Senior Organizational Development Professional (CSODP), Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL). She is one of 1500 Certified Professional Speakers (CSP) in worldwide and Past-President of the Toronto Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS). She has a BA in Psychology, MSc in Family Relations, and Diplomas in Human Resources and Healthcare Administration. Sarah has 20 years of experience including at a senior leadership level and now owns boutique firm Greatness Magnified. She is an author of peer-reviewed journals, articles, five books, “Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness: Solution Focused Strategies for Satisfied Staff, High Performing Teams and Healthy Bottom Lines” (2015), “The FROG Effect: Tools and Strategies to Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness” (2016), #GreatnessBizHacks: 100+ Tips to Grow a Profitable, Service-Based Biz you Love, FLIP Side of Failing: How to Recognize and Leverage Greatness in Work and Life (2019), and ROCKSTAR: Magnifying Your Greatness in Times of Change (2020).
This portal is provided as a training and development resource for City of Markham employees. Every course is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, is quantifiable in hours, and is verifiable — you receive a documented certificate of completion for every course you finish, stored on LearnFormula indefinitely.
If you hold a professional designation (for example in engineering, accounting, human resources, or law), courses may be counted as professionally relevant, verifiable learning activities toward your continuing professional development. Individual practitioners are responsible for confirming that an activity meets the requirements of their professional body. For questions about the City of Markham's training and development policies, please speak with your people leader or Human Resources.
